Phew...chapter 4. Things may be tense now at HCTH, but they'll get much worse before they get any better. At the beginning of this chapter I'll give you an inside look at how House performs in the clinic and what clinic duty is really like. And Keira's condition keeps getting weirder and weirder...
NOTE: that all medical terminology is in fact real and I have spent countless hours researching these medical topics. And another NOTE: the storyline, plot, whatever you call it was, in fact, created by me. If I borrow any one specific scenario from the game or House, M.D. it will be duly noted and credit will be given to the creators. But I still don't own any of the characters or places. Oh, and please check out my forum for Jak, M.D.
---- Haven City Teaching Hospital's clinic. A section of the hospital reserved for the public and their general illnesses. To House, just a bunch of normal people with normal ailments and illnesses. To him, it was one of the most boring jobs on the planet. Hell on Earth to be exact. House despised clinic duty for that one reason. He came from a department of the hospital that dealt with "super"illnesses and then he was reduced to dealing with the common cold, aches, and pains. Or a person like this...a super paranoided parent.
House stepped into exam room one. It was a small room with cabinets for holding medical supplies, tables, and chairs. He sat down heavily in a chair, directly in front of the patient. He stared impatiently at them, "What is your problem?" He stared at the about thirty year old mother.
The mother was seated next to her five year old daughter. She spoke up, ""Well it's my daughter. She has this cough----"
House sighed. "I asked what your problem was, not your daughter's."
"Well, I'm not the one who is sick. Ir's my daughter, her----"
House cut her off again. "Cough. I know. That is why you are the one who needs help. You brought your daughter in because she is coughing."
"Well," The mother said. "It could be whooping cough. I just wanted to be safe."
House pulled out a piece of paper and quickly wrote something on it. He tore it off of the note pad and handed it to the mother. "Wha---what is this?" the mother asked.
"The one who needs help is you. Psych ward, third floor. You can't miss it." House stood and began to leave.
"Wait, isn't the psych ward for crasy people?"
House stopped. "Yes. Crazy people who bring their kids in for a cough. Get the kid some damn cough medicine." The door flew open and House signed out of clinic duty for the day. His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a text message that read: "Not West Nile. New symptoms." House then closed his phone and boarded the elevator to the conference room to meet up with his team.
---- Jak was sitting in the lobby. He was so tense right now he was literally sitting in the edge of his seat. Keira would get better, than worse. It was nerve wracking and heart wrenching. And with Ashelin taking over the hospital, Jak was worring about the plug being pulled on Keira's case. She used to be so happy and healthy, Jak couldn't fathom how she'd end up like this.
Daxter made an attempt to comfort Jak. "Oh, come on, Jak. You know everything will be fine. Don't look so glum."
Jak just sighed, "I guess that you are right, Dax. Even though House is an ass, Keira has the best doctor working 'round the clock for her. Thanks,"
Daxter jumped out of the seat. "No problem, buddy. I'll be right back." Before Jak could question where Daxter was going, he was gone. Daxter was speeding down the hall to catch up with Ashelin. She stepped into the elevator and Daxter was able to, just in time, slip himself inside with her. They stood in silence for a moment, but Daxter was sure to break the silence.
"So, whatcha doin' hotcakes?"
"Call me 'hotcakes' again and i'll have the surgeons remove your vocal cords." Ashelin retorted.
Daxter acted calmly and spoke smoothly, "So are you really going to get rid of this House guy?"
Ashelin didn't detect Daxter as much of a threat so she let the answer slide. "I'd like to. But, surprisingly, he has a few too many people siding with him. Espicially Dr. Lisa Cuddy. In her case, I think that it's more than just the fact that he is a good doctor that she wants him around." Ashelin accidentally let the second part slip out. "I have one of his doctors feeding me information." She slapped herself in the forehead for letting that slip out.
But Daxter's responce surprised her, "Yeah, I'd like to get rid of that House guy, too. He's a bigger ass than me. I can't let him steal my fire." Daxter gave her a sincere smile while he did a bit of "sightseeing" on his own part.
The elevator door slid open on the fifth floor. As Ashelin stepped out she left Daxter with these words, "Maybe we could help each other out sometime."
Daxter remained in the elevator alone. He stood and thought for a second as the door shut. "I kinda like this spying job. and I get paid, too. Hmm...this is working out well." Daxter hopped up and pressed the button for the third floor. "Next stop, to speak with my good buddy, House. And to get paid."
Moments later, Daxter emerged from House's office looking pretty happy and House opened the door to the adjoined conference room and stepped inside. Once more House marked up a new score. Now it was: "House:2, Ashelin and Cuddy: 1". After that House relisted the symptoms below: Coma, blood vomit, sudden wellness, cardiac arrest, unexplainable fever, and artificial bleeding (To bleed from and artiface in the body).
"Differential diagnosis." House seemed to yell in the room.
"We really aren't sure." Chase admitted. "All of these symptoms point to more than one disease."
"It could be neurological." Foreman suggested.
"Oh, of course, " House said sarcastically. "every problem is neurological to you. I mean, really, you are a neurologist."
"Whatever, House." Foreman replied.
"Chase. Cameron. Focus on the bleeding factor. Now give me a differential."
"Aplasic Anemia. That would be the most common cause for the bleeding." Cameron suggested.
"We'd have to check her red blood cell count and her white count to be sure." said Chase.
House announced, "Foreman, do an MRI. Chase: CT scan. And Cameron blood work. Ok...go."
----It was a huge, cylinderical, white machine. Lying on a small table was Keira. Foreman pressed a few buttons and the table Keira was lying on slid into the machine. Foreman stepped into a seperate room. Chase sat at the moniter and Jak stood in a corner. Foreman joined Chase at the moniters.
"What will this test prove?" Jak asked.
"An MRI will allow us to scan her brain to see if that is what is causing the problem." Foreman explained.
Chase added, "And a CT scan will allow us to look at the soft tissues. We'll be loking closely around the heart for anything abnormal."
After both tests were completed Chase and Foteman were shocked to announce...
"There was nothing abnormal in the MRI." Foreman reported.
"Nor the CT scan."
"So what does this mean?" Jak asked hastily.
"We really don't know." Foreman admitted.
"We are still waiting for Cameron to get the blood test results back. There is still a chance that Cameron found something." Chase tried to instill a little bit of hope in Jak.
They sat in silence in the lobby. Jak stood and apologized to Chase and Foteman saying he had to go. Foreman and Chase looked at each other and shrugged as Jak hustled out the door. "Where is House anyway?" Foreman asked Chase.
"Break."
Foreman was silent for a minute. "Oh, hey, Chase. Why do you think that Ashelin hates House so much? I mean, think about it, she has never once been rude to any other doctor except for House. It's like she really has something against him."
"Besides the fact that he can be a complete and total ass sometimes." Chase commented.
"Think about it. Mother died from disease and everyone has seen the body parts and appendges that the Baron has lost that are now replaced with steel. House was still a doctor here around the time of those happenings..."
"Wait," Chase took a moment to take what Foreman said in. "You think that House had something to do with those things and that's why Ashelin hates him?"
"Exactly."
Cameron walked over to Foreman and Chase and sat across from them. They stopped their conversation and stared at Cameron. She handed them the test results. "Red and white count are both completely normal."
"Great." Foreman said. "So, while we wait for House, Chase, lets check out the old patient archives."
"What are you doing?" Cameron asked suspiciously.
"Research." Foreman and Chase left.
----Jak felt bad about leaving Foreman and Chase before they could get the test results back. He knew how crutial the results were, but this was urgent. Jak could feel a sudden ripple of dark eco spread through him. He could feel his heart pounding as the eco coursed through his veins. He stood outside, trying to control the transformation. But from afar, across the parking lot, House observed Jak. He leaned back on his motor cycle, "Interesting." House said. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Chase, Foreman, and Cameron. It read, "Get a blood sample from Jak. Don't ask why, just do it."
Not really much Keira in this chapter, but next chapter will be chock full of her. Ashelin's plans for House are starting to unfold and House takes on a new case as well. Things are starting to change at the hospital, for better and for worse. And Cuddy and House pairing? Is Cuddy going to show House how she really feels about him? Or will she decide not to? And would House embrace or reject her? And it's more undercover ottsel, in chapter 5!
Oh and please check out the forum I created for Jak, M.D. You can post who you think should couple up (i could really use some help with that), questions, or anything else at all! You opinions will affect the course of this story! And please R and R thanks! Catwoman signing out!